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| Criterion | ![]() Decision Making Pre-Mortem | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Decision Making Assumption Surfacing | ![]() Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20–45 min | 1-2 Tage | 45-90 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Small cross-functional group | 1-4 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |



